Queen Elizabeth — Canada

Queen Elizabeth is a 634 MW gas power station in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is operated by Saskatchewan Power Corp. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 714k homes (estimated). It ranks #65 of 1,210 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1959, it is around 67 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, gas supplies about 17.8% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0002081.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000405245; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 634 MW, Queen Elizabeth is well above the median gas plant in Canada (170 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Canada gas capacity

1.7% of 37,176 MW across 112 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

1 of 88 dated gas plants in Canada is older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Canada

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Saskatchewan Power Corp. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 52.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 131% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 97/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #14 largest gas power plant of 112 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 112 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,176 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Saskatoon Landfill · Biomass · 1.6 MW · Saskatchewan
• Cory Cogeneration · Gas · 249 MW · Saskatchewan
• Coteau Creek · Hydro · 186 MW · Saskatchewan
• North Battleford · Gas · 260 MW · Saskatchewan
• Landis · Gas · 78 MW · Saskatchewan
• Yellowhead · Gas · 138 MW · Saskatchewan

Location

Coordinates 52.0944, -106.705 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions